A Dance by Chance
by baneswoman
Summary: Tessa Gray is a beautiful intelligent young woman, a member of one of the wealthiest families in London. She meets Will Herondale, a charming, mysterious man at one of her family's parties. But he is not what he seems to be. He is being forced by a man named Axel Mortmain to kidnap Tessa and hold her for ransom...but does WIll have the heart to do it? All human, please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there guys, this story actually stemmed from something else I was writing, not fanfiction related at all. I don't use any plot points from TID, just the characters and the time period. It's all human, but I promise you, the characters still have their personalities. Also a heads up- Tessa and Will are older than they are in TID, in their early to mid-twenties. I strongly encourage you to read it- I myself am not a fan of all human TID stories, but I really think this one is coming along quite well. All of the characters belong to Cassandra Clare! Hope you enjoy! R&R, yeah?!**

**Tessa's POV**

There are many reasons why people try not to make mistakes. Sometimes they have an instinct, a sense that indicates a possible danger or bad decision. There's that feeling deep in your stomach, a twinge beneath your ribs that urges you to stop.

I would usually consider myself to be an intelligent woman, but on the Christmas Eve of 1878, I would consider myself rather moronic.

At an occasion such as a Christmas party, it was expected of me to be there, looking elegant and beautiful. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if I arrived only in my undergarments. I told my sister of these thoughts once; she gasped at the idea and was horrified. I decided to keep my thoughts to myself from then on.

So I clearly would not comment aloud what I thought of the majority of the people at my uncle's Christmas Eve party. Many of the women wore dresses that would have been beautiful- if they had not been decorated with giant gaudy bows.

_Idiots,_ I thought. _You act as if I would smite you down if you were as well dressed as I am._

And still I had no choice but to smile and greet them as they spoke to me as if we were old friends. I sometimes said outrageous things, or spoke about some of the novels I so much adored, in order to see the reactions of people- whether they would agree with me on my odd opinions are would look at me strangely for being such a well educated young woman.

But it didn't matter what I said; everyone wanted to be friends with Theresa Gray.

I sighed as another possible prostitute dressed as a less-elegant version of myself walked away from me. People were so easy to read. She had gone on about how her father was incredibly rich and she was carrying on his wealth; but when I asked her what he did for a living and how he came across such large amounts of money, she excused herself.

My own father owned a vineyard and had made millions off of the wines he produced. That was why I was so popular- I was a member of one of the richest families in London.

"It's quite sad, isn't it?" A voice said from my left. I turned and saw a handsome man dressed quite fairly, though not quite cleanly shaven. He had deep blue eyes, the color of the night sky, and shocks of pitch black hair. A scar ran across his right eyebrow, a flaw of mystery etched into his face.

"Pardon?" I said after composing myself.

He nodded in the direction of the prostitute. "It's sad, how people lie about their own lives to impress others."

I studied him for a moment. "Do you mean to tell me that you would rather inform someone that you spend most of your time in a brothel?"

He chuckled low in his throat. "If a man such as I did say so, I believe it would be quite normal. Their standards of me may lower slightly, but it is of my nature."

"It is of your nature to spend most of you time in a brothel?" I asked, trying not to smile.

"It is a _man's_ nature to do so," he corrected me. "Especially a man under stressful situations."

"And would you classify yourself as a man under stressful situations?"

He seemed to ponder on that for a few seconds. "I would say so."

I laughed. "What is your name, sir? I don't believe we have been acquainted yet."

His blue eyes bored into my grey ones. "You are quite forward, aren't you?"

I almost shrugged, then remembered I was in polite company and chose against it. "You don't seem offended, sir."

He shook his head. "Not at all. Please- call me Will."

I hesitated. "You wish me to call you by your Christian name?"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Unless that makes you uncomfortable…?" He went on before I could respond. "Then you must call me Mr. Herondale."

"I shall call you by whatever name you wish…Will. It is only that my calling you by your Christian name indicates an intimacy we do not yet share."

I saw his lips twitch. "Yet?"

"You intrigue me, Mr. Herondale. There is something mysterious and unique about you, and I've taken a sudden interest in discovering what it is."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Well, I am not a cat, am I?"

Will's eyes flicked down my body, then back up to my face. "You most certainly are not." I felt a blush creeping up my face as he smiled at me. "Would you care in telling me _your_ name?"

I blinked. "You do not know my name?"

"Should I?"

"I…suppose not," I said slowly. "It's just that most people are aware of who I am. I'm not exactly the type of person to be unknown."

"Well, by all means, do make yourself known to me," Will said with a nod of his head.

I looked down at the floor and fiddled with my fingers the way a child my do so when confessing to her faults. "Theresa," I said quietly. "Theresa Gray."

**Will's POV**

Of all the women at that party, it was her.

She was every bit of the beautiful and charming woman I expected her to be. At the same time, she was the _opposite_ of what I expected.

I hadn't originally planned to approach Miss Gray gently. Then again, I hadn't realized who I was getting acquainted with. I must have realized subconsciously that it was she who I was searching for; for I seemed attracted to her presence without me knowing it.

I desperately wished her to take back her words, to tell me she was not who she said she was. I also wished she wouldn't.

I _wanted_ her to be Theresa Gray.

I composed myself and cleared my throat. "Ah, so you are the lovely Miss Gray."

She curtsied. "I would prefer simply Tessa."

I bowed in return. "Very well, Tessa." She smiled, and it was so beautiful that my heart started to ache. My next decision surprised even me, though I'm not sure why. "Would you care to dance, Tessa?"

I saw the excitement spark in her eyes, but she said calmly, "I do not see any reason against it."

Tessa took my extended hand and I led her to the dance floor. I pulled her close enough to me that our chests touched each other. I was positive she could feel the hammering of my heart.

We stared into each other's eyes as we swayed through the room- until she stepped on my foot.

"Oh goodness, my apologies!" she mumbled. "I'm usually an excellent dancer…"

"I'm not exactly a graceful ballerina, so consider it forgivable." She laughed at my comment, pushing her few hanging brown curls off her shoulder.

"May I ask you something?" I said after a moment. She nodded. "Are you happy with your life?"

Tessa seemed startled by the question, and she had every right to be; it wasn't the type of thing you discussed in polite company. Still I could see her thinking about how to answer me.

"I…am grateful for my life," she said. "And I love my family. But I sometimes wish that I was not as wealthy as I am."

I raised my eyebrows. "Why?"

"I wish to be normal. I cannot go anywhere without someone staring at me or whispering about me. It's horrid. Everyone wants to know me because I'm rich. Why doesn't anyone want to know me because I'm _me_?"

There was such innocent sorrow and desperation in her words that I was speechless. She was not the stupid woman that Axel thought she was. Dear God, she was so much more. Tessa could never be stupid, no. She was probably smarter than Axel himself.

"_I_ would like to know you for you. I could care less about your social class, or how much money you have."

Except I had to.

"You are a great man, Will Herondale," Tessa said, squeezing my hand. "Promise me this won't be our first and last encounter."

"I promise." I said the words with a smile. I thought them with pain.

Someone caught my eye, at that moment. A man, who was standing across the room, was staring at me with piercing blue eyes and a sinister grin.

Axel.

"Damn," I said under my breath.

Tessa looked alarmed. "Is something wrong?"

"I-would you excuse me for a moment? I don't mean to be rude…"

"Oh, no, of course." She stepped away from me. I bowed and turned in the direction of Axel. Tessa caught my arm. "You will be coming back?"

There was so much hope in her eyes that I had to smile. "Hell hounds couldn't stop me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Greetings fellow shadowhunters! I have chapter 2 for you today. I got some really positive reviews from the first chapter, so I hope this one does just as well! I do not own the characters, that's all Cassandra Clare! Oh, I also wished to inform you all that Jem is not a love interest in this story, just a good friend to Will and Tessa. Also, the characters will still use the Angel as their form of God (i.e. "By the Angel" instead of "Oh my God") because I love that phrase and I'm the writer so… XD Enjoy!**

**Will's POV**

"What the devil are you doing here?" I exclaimed once I reached Axel. "I thought we agreed-"

"You agreed to fetch me the woman, William. I never agreed to stay home while you did so." Axel glanced over at Tessa with hungry eyes. "She's quite exquisite, isn't she? Such a shame."

I wanted to hit him, right then. Of course, that wouldn't have been the first time. "Shame?"

"Don't look at me like that, William. This was your idea after all, wasn't it?" He chuckled. "Or would you prefer the other option?"

I looked away. "No."

"I thought not." Axel straightened his jacket. "Do hurry up. The anticipation is eating away at me."

"The anticipation to destroy a young woman's life?"

Axel's face hardened. "Say it again, Will, and the choice will no longer be yours."

I glared at him as he walked away. As if I really had a choice. But…how could I go through with it?

**Tessa's POV**

Several other men asked me to dance while I waited for Will to return. One man in particular was being quite rude as I declined for the second time.

"I am not in the mood to dance, sir," I said. "Please do not ask me again."

The man stared at me, bewildered. "Do you know who I _am_?!" he exclaimed. "You _dare_ refuse me?!"

"Yes, she does," said a familiar voice. "And she does not wish to know your name, nor does she care." I turned and found Will standing at my shoulder, and I grinned. "Besides, she already has a partner for this dance."

Will took my hand and gracefully twirled me away from the fuming nobleman. "Thank you," I said against his shoulder. I realized we were dancing closer than most of the other ladies and gentleman around us, but I didn't care. Propriety was not a contributing factor at the moment- it didn't _feel_ like one with Will. "You have no idea how often that happens. It becomes bothersome to agree to dance with so many snobbish men."

Will chuckled. "So tell me, Miss Gray, am I a nuisance for asking you to dance?"

I looked up into his eyes and felt a blush climbing up my face, but I smiled anyway. "Some nuisances are tolerable."

He smiled as well, but he saw something behind me and his smile quickly faded. I turned to look but he twirled me in such a way that I couldn't see behind me. He tried to mask his concern with another smile, but it was easy to see that he was troubled by something.

"Are you alright, Mr. Herondale?" I asked him, feeling my eyebrows draw into a frown. "You look quite pale."

Will's eyes focused on mine. "Yes, yes, I'm sure I'm fine. Perhaps I just need some…fresh air." He stepped away from me, my hand still in his, but he gently dropped it. "Care to join me?" I hesitated. I had the odd impulse to trust this man, an impulse I had never felt before, but also, there was something off about him. He had no care for propriety, I told myself. That's all. Will noticed my hesitation and grinned. "Unless you would rather stay stranded with this imbeciles dressed in circus attire?"

I had no desire to stay surrounded by such people any longer, it was true. I took his hand and allowed him to lead me out the door to the garden. There was snow on the ground, and I shivered, wishing I had brought my wrap with me.

"You're cold," Will said, and before I could say anything to him in response, he draped his gentleman's jacket over my shoulders.

"Thank you," I said for the second time that evening. "Why is it that you are so different from all those other men?"

Although I was being serious, Will attempting a humorous tone. "Well _I_ grew up in Wales."

I laughed lightly. "I think you know what I mean, William."

He had been walking beside me, but now he turned down a different path of the garden to examine some bushes that were not surviving the harsh winter. "I like to think myself as more open minded than those bastards- pardon me- that fancy themselves the title of gentlemen."

"Would you say you're more intelligent than them?" I asked, stroking a tree that my uncle had planted when he was just a boy.

"Wouldn't any man when given the chance to belittle his opponents?" He said the words with a smile. His smile was quite beautiful, I had to admit. His teeth were straight and glistened in the moonlight. He was quite something to look at, and I had to actually turn my body in order to look away from him. No man had ever had that effect on me before.

"I suppose so," I said, laughing once more. "You seem very much like me, Will. Intelligent. Strong-willed. Independent."

"Charming, startlingly attractive…" Will chimed in.

We both laughed lightly. "So what brings you to my uncle's-"

My words were cut off by strong hand covering my mouth and an arm grasping my waist. Whoever this man was, he was wealthy, or pretended to be, anyway; the buttons on the wrists of his coat were what looked like pure silver.

"Will!" I shouted, trying to twist out of the man's grip. "Will-"

"Excellent job, William," the man said. I looked at Will. No…no, he couldn't have. "You brought her right to me. I thought it'd be more difficult than this." I was staring at Will with what I'm sure was a betrayed look, but I was forced around by the man who held me.

He wasn't much taller than me, maybe the same height as Will, but I myself was tall for a woman, standing a few inches below six feet. He was stocky, with a greying beard and small glasses. He looked nothing like someone to physically offend a young woman. He looked like the kind of man who owned a book store. He looked trustworthy. Trustworthy, the same impression I had gotten from Will.

I spun around. "_You!_" I snarled at Will. "You are a _despicable_ man-" My legs went out from under me. Two other men now flanked my offender, two very strong, disturbing looking men. One held my arms as the other tied my hands behind my back. I thrashed around as much as possible. "To think I _trusted_ you!" One of the men shoved a wadded up piece of cloth in my mouth, and I couldn't speak anymore.

Will had been quiet the entire time. He looked strongly conflicted, and deeply guilty. His hand twitched, as if he might use it in some helpful way. But no. He simply stood there, as if something rooted him to the spot.

I was hurt inside, painfully so. I had trusted this man, though I was unsure of why. I had believed him to be a good person, someone different from all the other wealthy creatures that inhabited the ballroom at that moment. I had thought he was… like me.

But he was not like me. _I_ would never do such a thing to anyone. I would never betray anyone's trust the way he betrayed mine.

**Will's POV**

She was beyond angry, and she had every right to be. I _was_ a despicable man. Even if she understood, even if she knew why I had to do it, she would still hate me.

The worst part was that I wanted to save her, more than anything. My heart told me to, and my heart didn't care what was at stake. But I had listened to my heart one too many times, and no situation ended pleasantly for me. So I forced myself to listen to my brain, and stay where I was. Axel had so much power over me, so much…

Axel's two burly men seized Tessa and shoved a gag in her mouth. I felt my hand twitch and knew it would hit someone if I didn't say something…

"Axel, please don't hurt her-"

I saw Tessa's eyes widen with surprise and then narrow. Axel looked at me skeptically. "I wouldn't dare hurt her. What use is she to me if she is injured?" Axel stroked her shoulder, and I felt my jaw clench. He shouldn't be allowed to touch her, that disgusting beast of a man. Part of my brain asked me why I was reacting to what was happening to a woman I had met so recently the way I was. I willed it to keep quiet.

"You're correct, she would be no use to you at all," I said. "Axel, you promised she would be safe."

Axel grinned. "She will be." He motioned with his hand and Tessa was forced to her feet. "Lucas, Marcus, please escort Miss Gray to the carriage. I'll join you in a moment." Lucas and Marcus led Tessa away, and Axel approached me. He handed me a key. She's in the main storage room at the abandoned ale warehouse. You paid your debt, she's yours once again." And with those words, he turned and left.

"I'm sorry, Tessa," I whispered to the open air. "I'm so sorry." But I couldn't stand there anymore. I ran out of the garden and took off towards the old warehouse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello hello everyone! I'm hoping you all love this story so far, I'm getting some good reviews and I hope that means there are plenty more to come! ! Some new characters are introduced in this chapter, though I'm not sure how many, it depends on how much I write today. I do not own the Infernal Devices or any of its characters, that all goes to the lovely Ms. Clare!**

**Will's POV**

I don't believe I could have run any faster than I was, but I knew there was something trying to hold me back. Something that would be successful had my sister not been locked away in an abandoned building. I couldn't get Tessa out of my head. That hurt look in her eyes…I betrayed her…

The arrogant part of myself interrupted my thoughts. You don't know this woman, William. She is but another pawn in the grand scheme of things. She is but another intelligent, beautiful, charming woman…

I smelled something. Smoke. The location it floated from was definitely nearby, for the scent was strong. I looked up and saw massive billowing black clouds spreading through the sky. They were rising from a building in the direction I was running.

And that is when the brutal realization awakened inside me. The warehouse was burning, and my sister was inside.

**Tessa's POV**

I was still gagged as I rode inside the carriage, both of Axel's men on either side of me. I had stopped thrashing around, for I could see it was giving Axel pleasure to watch me fight and fail to escape, and I did not wish him to feel any pleasure at all. I simply glared at him, and he grinned back at me.

"So, Miss Gray, do you have any idea why you are here?" Axel said. I wasn't sure if he expected an answer, but I looked down at the gag in my mouth pointedly. "Ah yes, Marcus, if you will." Marcus removed the cloth from my mouth and I immediately sucked in a breath of air. Simply breathing through your nose is not always pleasant.

I looked at him with disgust. "Since you are giving me the liberty to guess, I suppose you have taken me captive in order to hold me for ransom."

Axel's eyebrows raised. "You are quite clever, Miss Gray, more so than I thought. You are correct, in a sense." I looked at him skeptically. "There are two options for you to choose from."

"Options?" I repeated. It did not make much sense to me that my captor was allowing me to choose anything.

"Yes. The first is that I hold you captive until a substantial amount of money is offered in exchange for your return."

"How much money are you asking for, precisely?" I asked him.

"Approximately 50,000 pounds."

"_50,000 pounds_?!" I sputtered. "You must be mad!"

"I have been told that once or twice."

I looked at him warily. "What is the second option?"

Axel grinned. "That you marry me, of course."

**Will's POV**

"Cecily!" I screamed, running through smoke and thrashing fires. Even if she was alive and conscious, she would never hear me over the roar of the flames. But I still I shouted for her. "CECILY!"

I was making my way to the main storage room, or what I _thought_ was the main storage room. Angel forgive me if it wasn't. The fires seemed to be getting larger the closer I got to my sister.

Part of me questioned if that wasn't a coincidence.

I reached the large doors of the storage rooms and fumbled for the key to open them. My hands were beyond slick, but I managed to get them unlocked and pushed open. "Cecily!" The flames hurt to look at, but I had to look nonetheless. I had to find her. I _would_ find her. The largest fire was sitting in the center of the room, and it looked as if dozens of crates had been piled on top of one another…as if someone had used them to start a fire. _Axel_-

Something in the corner of the room caught my eye. A shadowed figure, curled into a ball… "Cecily!" I rushed towards her. She was unconscious, but breathing, though barely. I swung her up into my arms and ran towards the doors, using my back to open them so as not to injure my sister. I was wheezing, and my eyes were watering, but I kept running. I wouldn't rest until she was safe.

**Tessa's POV**

"_Marry _you?!" I exclaimed, more bewildered than when I had first been taken captive. "You _are_ mad-"

"Ah ah ah, Miss Gray, my darling, don't speak of it now. You have all the time in the world to think…"

"Oh, do I? How long, exactly, do you think it'll take anyone to realize I'm missing?"

"Hmm…you are correct. Perhaps I should have said that you have until tomorrow morning."

"I won't marry you, and I won't allow you to rob my family either."

Axel narrowed his eyes. "I'm afraid you _will_ be doing either one or the other." The carriage stopped. "Ah, we have finally arrived." The door opened, and he stepped out. "Marcus, Lucas, please." The two thugs lifted me out of the carriage and drew me towards the dark stone building that stood before us. I shuddered, and couldn't help but think that the building reminded me of a prison.

**Will's POV**

"Cecily," I said, smoothing her black hair back from her face. She was covered in soot. "Cecily, please answer me, please…" Her eyes fluttered slightly, then opened. I looked into her deep blue eyes that I knew so well, the ones that were identical to mine. "Oh, thank the Angel…"

"Will," she croaked. "Will the fire…"

"Shhh, shhh, it's alright. Everything's alright…"

"No Will, it's not. Marcus, he- he tried to-" She bit her lip and tears filled her eyes.

"He tried to what?" I asked her, though I already knew what. She just looked at me with large watering eyes. "I'll kill him," I whispered. "That bloody bastard!"

"Will-"

"The fire, how did the fire start?"

Cecily looked down. "That was Marcus as well. When I refused him and kicked him in the groin."

Pride flared up inside me. She was so brave, my Cecily. "And Axel? What did he do about it?"

She looked me directly in the eyes. "He was the one who locked the doors."

**Tessa's POV**

They had shoved me into a room in the cellar, with a cot and a water basin. There was a single window that showed me the night sky, but bars ran across it. Never had I felt more imprisoned in my life. The room was cold, but I still had on Will's jacket, and it kept me warm. Even when he wasn't here, I was still comforted by him.

But I didn't want to be. He had traded me over to an evil man, probably for money. What hurt even more was the fact that I still felt connected to him. That I still wanted him to be by my side, making me laugh with his witty remarks.

I laid down on the cot, clutching the jacket closer to me, even though the right thing to do would have been to throw it onto the floor. I laid there in the moonlight, and cried myself to sleep, because now I was alone in a way I never was before.

**Soooooo R&R, ya? That'd be lovely!**


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